Albion Women Manager Siobhan Hodgetts-Still believes her players “stepped up” to the pressure to overcome Leeds United on penalties in the FAWNL Cup on Sunday afternoon.
The visitors took the lead in the tie at the Alexander Stadium, but Molly Kehoe equalised in the middle part of the second period. No further goals were added and the encounter went to spot-kicks.
Goalkeeper Lavarna Johnson saved two penalties in the shootout, with the hosts claiming a 4-2 victory and a spot in the last eight of the tournament.
Hodgetts-Still and the stopper were both thrilled with the character on display.
“I’m really happy that we’re through to the next round of the Cup,” Hodgetts-Still said. “Performance-wise, I thought we dominated in-possession.
“We just lacked a bit of quality or decision-making in the final third. They made it really difficult for us, sitting in a low block.
“They were really hard to break down, so credit to Leeds. We’ve got to be better in terms of finding a way to beat the block and score more goals.
“LJ [Lavarna Johnson] saved a penalty against Solihull, so we were confident in her ability to get us through. I’m really happy that we got through to the next round and the players stepped up in the penalty shootout and dealt with the pressure.”
Goalkeeper Johnson’s penalty saves were defining moments in the tie. She says her team-mates “believed” they could topple their Yorkshire opponents.
She said: “I'm just happy that the game’s over. I was getting scared. Leeds had their chances, but when it went to penalties, I was confident in my own ability and that the team would get the job done.
“I saved one against Solihull Moors in the last FA Cup round, so I was confident. I have to give credit to our analyst, Ben, he gave me some hints and I took them.
“I probably came across as quite calm. I was a bit nervous, but you have to give off that confident energy and do your best. I picked a side and stuck to it and thankfully it paid off.
“Leeds did really well, they sat in their block and it was hard to break them down. We went one-nil down with the corner, but I trust the girls and we believed in one another.
“We knew we’d come back and in the second half we came out like a different team. We tried to pick their block out and we got the goal. We were on top and I thought we were unfortunate not to win the game in 90 minutes. We got the win in the end.
“We didn’t underestimate them, we did our preparation and we knew the strengths they had. We’ve seen their strengths on the pitch but just tried to minimise that.”
